The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Niagara Elementary School
Niagara Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a rural area east of Henderson, Kentucky. The school is part of the Henderson County district, which covers the city of Henderson and the surrounding county. Henderson itself sits on a bluff above the Ohio River and is considered the southernmost suburb of Evansville, Indiana, with a mix of manufacturing, agriculture, and government employment. The city’s original plan featured unusually wide streets, and today its downtown and riverfront include a play area, water park, trails, and boat docks.
The student body at Niagara Elementary is almost entirely white, with a very small Hispanic population and a small share of students identifying as two or more races. The rate of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is below the national average, indicating a student population that, economically, is relatively less disadvantaged than what is seen in many other public elementary schools. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or who are English learners was not available.
Academically, the state testing results paint a mixed picture. In reading, performance is solid. The third-grade class posted a high proficiency rate, and fourth and fifth graders also showed majority proficiency, though not at the same level as the third graders. In math, results are a step down. Roughly three-fifths of students in grades three, four, and five scored at the proficient level or above, which is lower than the reading results at most grade levels. Science scores for fourth graders were not reported due to data suppression rules. In social studies, only about half of fifth graders met the proficiency benchmark, which is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not serve high school grades, so metrics like four-year graduation or college and career readiness do not apply here.
The district has made a few recent shifts that affect Niagara Elementary. The most direct is the district-wide adoption of structured literacy practices aligned with the science of reading, with a focus on systematic phonics instruction and professional development for teachers. This change is happening in all elementary schools, so a family choosing Niagara Elementary can expect that reading instruction follows this phonics-based framework. The district has also been spending on facility upgrades, including roof replacements, HVAC improvements, and security upgrades at multiple buildings, which suggests the school environment may see ongoing physical improvements.
The comparison with other districts in Henderson County could not be made in a meaningful way. There was only one district in the county available for comparison, so there is no position to give relative to neighbors on measures like proficiency or attendance.
For a family considering this school, the main takeaway is that Niagara Elementary is a predominantly white, economically average school in a small city with a mixed industrial and agricultural base. The academic picture shows stronger reading than math and social studies, with a notable drop in fifth-grade social studies proficiency. The district has committed to a science-of-reading approach in elementary grades, which gives clarity on how reading is taught. A parent would do well to ask about how the school supports students who are not yet proficient in math and social studies, since those are the subjects where the data raises more questions.
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